Classics Teaching Opportunities

Advanced graduate students in the PCLL, PAMW, and AGRP programs in the Department of Classics and qualified students from other departments are eligible for a variety of teaching positions in the department. In normal circumstances, teaching positions will not be assigned to graduates before their third year of residence; priority will be given to those who have teaching obligations under the Graduate Aid Initiative. The different types of appointments are described below, together with the procedure for application.

The following teaching appointments are made each spring quarter for the subsequent academic year. Applications are due by the first Friday of Spring Quarter and should include:

A cover letter, addressed to the Departmental Chair.

An updated Curriculum Vitae. Please make sure that the date is recorded at the top of the CV.

A letter of recommendation from a Faculty member of the Department of Classics. You should arrange to have this sent directly to the Departmental Administrative Assistant.

A completed 2-page application form, which will be distributed toward the end of the Winter Quarter.

A memo will be circulated toward the end of each Winter Quarter, reminding graduates to apply for teaching positions and providing further details (including levels of remuneration for appointments that are not covered by the Graduate Aid Initiative).

Course Assistants and Instructors in Regular Language Programs

Each year, a number of slots are available as Course Assistants and Instructors in Introductory and Intermediate Greek and Latin classes. To be eligible to serve as a Course Assistant in a language course, you need to have completed the Graduate Survey in the relevant language. To serve as an Instructor, you need to have completed the Graduate Survey and passed the Qualifying Examination in the relevant language and have served previously as a Course Assistant.

Typically third-year graduates will be appointed in a language sequence at the level of Course Assistant for the Autumn and Winter Quarters, where they will be under the direct supervision of either a faculty instructor or the Director of the Greek or Latin Programs (if the instructor is a senior graduate). In the Spring Quarter, they will be appointed as Instructor in that sequence. Course Assistantships count as one point and Instructorships as two points towards Graduate Aid Initiative teaching obligations. Fourth-year graduates are normally appointed to the same sequence (Course Assistant [AQ] - Course Assistant [WQ] – Instructor [SQ]) in the second language.

Further instructorships and assistantships for Introductory and Intermediate Greek and Latin will be available for second sections where enrollments are sufficient. In addition, two instructorships for the first section of Latin 10100 and 10200 will be available for advanced graduate students with experience in teaching Introductory Latin. The Directors of the Greek and Latin Programs will advise on syllabi, course assignments, and examination questions and arrange for a faculty member to sit in on a class from time to time to provide constructive feedback. Third year graduates will be required to attend the Center for Teaching and Learning’s Workshop in Orientation Week, while all graduates scheduled to teach in any given year will be required to attend a Departmental Teaching Workshop on the Friday of Orientation Week.

Instructor, Myth Course

An undergraduate class, entitled “Ancient Myth: Functions and Meanings,” is offered each spring and taught by a Graduate Instructor. Eligibility is restricted to those who have been admitted to Ph.D candidacy. The Associate Chair for Undergraduate Affairs will advise on the syllabus and course requirements and arrange for a faculty member to attend one or two classes to offer constructive feedback. Graduates appointed to this position are required to attend a Departmental Teaching Workshop on the Friday of Orientation Week.

BA Preceptor

The BA preceptor guides the fourth-year Classics majors through the process of writing a BA paper; the BA seminar is set up for this purpose. This course meets as many hours as a regular course (a total of 30 class hours) but this is spread over two and a third quarters, with the heaviest time commitment falling in the Autumn Quarter. Eligibility is restricted to those who have been admitted to Ph.D candidacy. The Associate Chair for Undergraduate Affairs will advise on the syllabus and course requirements and attend one or two classes to offer constructive feedback. Graduates appointed to a BA Preceptorship are required to attend a Departmental Teaching Workshop on the Friday of Orientation Week.

Graduate Assistant, Study Abroad Program in Athens

The Undergraduate College's Study abroad program in Greece, entitled “Greek Antiquity and its Legacy,” is offered every spring quarter. Fulfilling the civilization requirements in the common core curriculum, this intensive one-quarter sequence corresponds to three quarters of a civilization sequence on campus, examining the history and culture of Greece from prehistory down to the present day, as well as the uses that antiquity has served throughout the ages. Students are also registered in the equivalent of a one-quarter language class (normally Modern Greek but Ancient Greek may be substituted by those who have already taken classes in Greek). The program combines classroom lectures with morning site/museum visits, one-day excursions and overnight trips to the Peloponnese, Delphi and Northern Greece.

The Athens Course Assistant is: (i) a course assistant for the civilization sequences, performing the same sorts of duties as one might for a Classical Civilization course on campus (advising students on the readings, going over drafts of papers with them, leading the occasional class discussion, assisting in grading; (ii) a resident assistant, liaising between the undergraduates and the Athens Centre (the administrative organization that provides accommodation, transport and classroom space while in Athens); and (iii) an instructor in her/his own right for those requiring Ancient Greek. The course “Readings in Attic Greek” will be listed in the College Catalog, and the Instructor, who will be evaluated at the end of the course, will have full grading autonomy.

Eligibility is restricted to those who have previously served as an Instructor in a Greek course. The Director of the Athens Program or the Director of the Greek Program will offer advice on curricula and requirements, while the on-site Instructors will provide constructive feedback on teaching out in Athens. Graduates appointed to the Athens Course Assistantship are required to attend a Departmental Teaching Workshop on the Friday of Orientation Week.

Course Assistants, Ancient Mediterranean World Sequence

The three-quarter Ancient Mediterranean World sequence satisfies the College's General Education requirement in Civilizations. The autumn quarter is devoted to Greek History, the winter to Roman History, and the spring quarter to Byzantine and Late Antique History. The classes meet on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, with Monday and Wednesday being devoted to lectures and Friday to discussion of primary texts. Course assistants lead weekly discussion sections, advise students on writing papers, and assist with grading. Typically, they also deliver one of the lectures. Normally, graduates will not be appointed to Course Assistantships in the Ancient Mediterranean World sequence before their third year of study. The relevant instructors will advise on lecture and discussion topics and provide constructive feedback on lectures. Graduates who have not taught at the University of Chicago before will be required to attend the Center for Teaching and Learning’s Workshop in Orientation Week.

Course Assistants and Instructors, Summer Language Programs

A number of positions as Course Assistant and Instructor are available for the Introductory and Intermediate Greek and Latin courses offered over the summer. Typically, appointments will be made for nine-week periods between June and August and will comprise two three-week sessions as a Course Assistant to the faculty instructor, followed by a final three-week session as an Instructor. There will also be openings for Course Assistants for these final three-week sessions. Depending on enrollment, additional positions for Course Assistantships in the first two sessions may become available. Advanced graduate students are also eligible to be appointed as an Instructor in the third session of Intermediate Greek and Latin. This course last six weeks but is not a full-time commitment. Service as a Course Assistant or Instructor in the Summer Program does NOT count toward Graduate Aid Initiative teaching obligations. Advice on syllabi and course requirements and constructive feedback on teaching performance will be provided by the Director of the Summer Language Programs.

The following teaching position is appointed in the Spring Quarter but, since it is restricted to graduates who have applied for the Stuart Tave Teaching Fellowship, applications are due early in the Winter Quarter and should include:

A current Curriculum Vitae.

A course title, course description, reading list and/or syllabus.

A dissertation chapter.

One faculty letter of recommendation.

Instructor, Ephron Course

The Department funds a stand-alone Instructorship in a course of the applicant’s design. Eligibility is restricted to graduates who have been admitted to Ph.D candidacy and who have applied to the Stuart Tave Teaching Fellowship. Ephron Fellows will be offered advice on curricula and course requirements by a faculty mentor – normally the faculty member who has written the letter of recommendation and who will also sit in, from time to time, on classes in order to provide constructive feedback.

Pedagogical Training

Prior to commencing appointments as Teaching Assistants or Instructors, graduates are required to attend – normally at the start of their third year - the Center for Teaching and Learning Workshop, held in Orientation Week of Autumn Quarter. In addition, all graduates who are teaching in any given year are required to attend a Departmental Teaching Workshop, convened by the Associate Chair for Undergraduate Affairs on the Friday of Orientation Week. Continued training and mentoring is offered to Course Assistants in the language courses and the Ancient Mediterranean sequence by the lead instructors and coordinators of the courses.